Severe storm batters Alachua County

A severe storm blew through Alachua County Friday night, downing trees, causing streets to flood and leaving neighborhoods on the northside of Gainesville without power.

Staff report

A severe storm blew through Alachua County Friday night, downing trees, causing streets to flood and leaving neighborhoods on the northside of Gainesville without power.The torrential rains, which dumped just over two inches of rain in an hour, were accompanied by hail, according to some reports, and left limbs down and standing water on many streets, making traveling on many streets difficult.The storm, accompanied by frequent lightning strikes, raced across the county just after 10 p.m. A severe thunderstorm was in effect until 11 p.m. for eastern Alachua County and southeastern Bradford County.At 11 p.m. the storm was heading east over Putnam County, where a severe thunderstorm warning was still in effect.Meantime, the National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for southern parts of Union, Columbia and Suwannee counties as well as northern Gilchrist County.